Critical Oxygen

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Andy St. Germain and I talk about how we met, Andy's background, and the importance of mental toughness from endurance training and Crossfit. Enjoy! Enjoying these podcasts? Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Follow Andy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andyst.germain/ Interested in testing, courses, or other long form content check out the critical oxygen website - https://www.criticaloxygen.com OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction 0:45 – Andy’s Background 2:29 – Athlete to coach 3:20 – Wrestling and mental toughness 8:20 – Mental Toughness for Crossfitters 10:06 – Different pain for different workouts 12:15 – Does mental toughness trump physiology? 12:52 – The parallels of life and sport 16:30 – Train your mind! 16:49 – Sometimes the best workout is rest or to slow down! 18:08 – The challenge with hustle mentality 20:31 – Why HIIT feels good 21:45 – Reprogramming your brain 24:10 – How to mentally assess your athlete 26:44 – Talk to your athletes! 27:55 – The stress bucket 30:40 – The mark of a good coach 32:51 – The balance of coaching 34:30 – Two types of athletes you coach 35:59 – Why men are less likely to share their feelings 36:49 – Coaching kids 38:56 – How Crossfit teaches mental toughness 41:56 – You don’t have to be perfect 44:00 – What Crossfit is good at 44:56 – Where Crossfit falls short 48:18 – Recap and why scaling is good! 49:17 – Outro

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Dr. Robert Jacobs and I talk about the three main predictors of endurance performance. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), metabolic thresholds (i.e. lactate, ventilatory (oxygen and carbon dioxide), etc.), and economy/efficiency. Enjoy! Are you enjoying these podcasts? Please subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Interested in testing, courses, or other long form content check out the critical oxygen website - https://www.criticaloxygen.com OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction 0:20 – What we know from research and biological variability. 3:11 – What can we take away from a bad study? 5:10 – The challenge with human studies 5:46 – Be open to changing your ideas based on the research! 6:39 – The optimal training plan example 8:23 – Our plan to share research 10:10 – Predictors of endurance performance 13:28 – Maximal Oxygen Consumption 15:06 – Metabolic Thresholds 16:03 – Is VO2max the third threshold? 17:23 – Lactate and ventilatory thresholds 19:32 – First threshold 20:11 – is first threshold FATMAX?! 21:55 – How can we use multiple different devices to predict our thresholds? 22:50 – What do our different thresholds tell us? 25:07 – Are critical power and vo2max the same thing in some situations? 27:08 – Why altitude reduces your VO2max and performance? 28:12 – Altitude is cooler, does that help performance? 30:19 – How to change your pacing at altitude 31:34 – The importance of economy 33:00 – What sports need to emphasize economy? 34:14 – Why is running economy so important. 38:15 – Force plate testing for economy. 40:01 – What is the most efficient speed and cadence for you? 41:49 – Why I did a 50km 2 weeks before my Ph.D. defense. 44:54 – What predictors of performance did I consider for my ultra? 46:25 – my connection with weight and endurance performance 49:23 – My 50km training plan. 51:59 – Erg mode is brutal, here is the theory why 56:09 – Type I fibers and why they are important 58:57 – Why Rich Froning was an Animal 1:01:33 – Muscle predictors of endurance performance 1:04:31 – The role of mitochondria in performance 1:04:57 – How do the mitochondria respond to exercise? 1:08:16 – What the physiology is cristae density? 1:10:07 – The mitochondria myoglobin capillary axis 1:10:40 – How NIRS can help us understand our muscle physiology. 1:13:28 – Isolated mitochondria 1:14:57 - Outro

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Jonah Rosner, MS, CSCS, and I talk about predictors of performance and how we use testing to determine training plans. Enjoy! Enjoying these podcasts, subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Follow Jonah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonah_jarperformance Interested in testing, courses, or other long form content check out the critical oxygen website - https://www.criticaloxygen.com OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction and Topic Overview 2:15 – Jonah's Impromptu 27-Mile Run 4:00 – Fueling Strategy and Carbohydrate Oxidation 6:24 – The Role of Nutrition in Performance 8:08 – Influence of Diet on Bone Health 9:55 – The Importance of Adequate Caloric Intake 11:37 – Motor Unit Activation and Muscle Fiber Types 13:53 – Fine-Tuning Muscle Recruitment for Efficiency 16:08 – Economy and Its Relationship to Efficiency 18:05 – Neuromuscular Components and Metabolic Efficiency 20:23 – Muscle Contraction Types and Energy Expenditure 22:03 – The Complexity of Human Physiology in Performance 23:34 - The Importance of VO2 Max in Endurance Sports 25:02 - Benefits and Challenges of High-Intensity Training 28:40 - Comparing Training Strategies and Adaptations 31:05 - Using VO2 Max to Guide Training 35:28 - VO2 Max in CrossFit 42:47 - Factors Influencing CrossFit Performance 43:24 - CrossFit Requirements 44:09 - Predictors of Performance 45:07 - CrossFit Games 5K 46:21 - Individualized Training 47:26 - Training Based on Sport Demands 48:05 - Zone 2 vs. High-Intensity Interval Training 50:05 - Thresholds Defined 57:19 - Power and Speed Adaptation 59:26 - Training with Heart Rate Zones 1:01:45 - Future Topics

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Andy St. Germain and I talk about predictors of performance in endurance sport and how they relate to Crossfit. We also touch on the most important predictor of performance for Crossfit. Enjoy! Enjoying these podcasts? Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Follow Andy on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andyst.germain/ Interested in testing, courses, or other long form content check out the critical oxygen website - https://www.criticaloxygen.com OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction 1:01 – CrossFit as an Endurance Sport 3:00 – Importance of Endurance Training 5:42 – Balancing High Intensity and Endurance 9:44 – The Importance of Consistency 13:25 – Slow Down and Absorb Training 15:06 – Predictors of Performance in CrossFit 19:05 – Efficiency of Movement 21:27 – Building Efficiency in CrossFit 27:07 – The Role of VO2 Max and Threshold 32:42 – Genetic Factors in Athletic Potential 36:37 – Developing Coordination and Movement Efficiency 39:56 – Zone Two Training and Efficiency 41:00 - Outro

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Coach Aaron Geiser and I talk about Aaron's training/taper update, the predictors of triathlon performance and how Aaron uses them in his coaching, and what the most important variable for triathlon performance is. Enjoy! Enjoying these podcasts, subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Follow Aaron on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/triageiser/ OUTLINE: 0:00 – Introduction 1:12 – Aaron’s training/race update 3:12 – Why you feel like garbage during a taper 4:18 – Different athletes responses to taper 5:53 – How Aaron prescribes a taper 10:47 – Race week workouts 12:42 – Why getting in the pool keeps you sharp 13:35 – How each triathlon event effects the next 15:12 – Why pool fitness is important for triathlon performance 17:23 – Inefficiency with swimming 19:15 – The importance of economy for triathlon performance 19:52 – What are the predictors of triathlon performance? 21:04 – The importance of VO2max for triathlon 26:18 – How to train based on your expected time/distance 28:09 – Don’t forget to train your weaknesses 29:26 – Think of training as a sound equalizer 31:55 – Borrowing from Peter Attia 34:06 – What is first threshold? 37:55 – Stop being obsessed with power! 42:09 – Why we like watts 43:28 – The importance of using other variables (not just watts) 46:08 – Should you guide your workouts by effort? 49:50 – Paralysis by analysis 52:13 – Efficiency revisited/Gait analysis for running 55:39 – Why efficiency is important for triathlon 57:33 – How aerodynamics effects your biking 1:01:35 – Outro

Welcome to the Critical Oxygen Podcast! In this episode Coach Aaron Geiser and I talk about how we met, Aaron's ironman taper, and how reducing speed or being aware of your intensity is extremely important for your endurance performance and more. Enjoy! Enjoying these podcasts, subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released. If you have a question or topic you want us to address, leave a comment! Follow Phil on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/criticalo2 Follow Aaron on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/triageiser/ OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 1:59 - Aaron's Ironman Taper 5:11 - Zone 2 Training, Go Easier! 8:30 - Physiological Training - Why you may be stagnant 12:40 - Why type A individuals Struggle 14:09 - How not to train 15:06 - Was COVID beneficial? 18:56 - Stop over racing! 22:08 - Loving training reduces training stress?! 25:58 - Sleep more! 27:30 - When to take an easy day?! 30:36 - Why you should warm-up? 35:52 - Nobody cares about your training 36:52 - Take chances! 37:54 - Aaron's background / Why we got into endurance racing? 48:44 - When having an ego is a good thing!? 51:00 - How to choose a career (maybe). 53:33 - Outro